The non-metallic lightning strike protection film covering carbon fiber reinforced polymers (NM-LSP covering CFRP) can reduce the weight and thus the fuel consumption of aircraft by replacing the traditional lightning strike protection (LSP) materials. In the present study, in order to study the environmental influence of utilizing NM-LSP covering CFRP in an aircraft elevator, a new elevator was designed and manufactured, replacing the aluminium net and glass fiber reinforced polymers (GFRP) with NM-LSP covering CFRP, with the same mechanical and LSP abilities. A comparative life cycle assessment was conducted between the two kinds of aircraft elevators, including material extraction, transportation, elevator manufacturing phase, service phase, and end-of-life procedures. Additionally, the environmental impacts of producing two LSP materials were compared by considering the environmental effects of different buy-to-fly ratios and recycling strategies on the production of aluminium net. The analysis indicates that the new elevator achieved reduction for all the environmental impact categories used, such as human toxicity potential and marine aquatic ecotoxicity potential (3.83％ and 3.20％ reduction). Furthermore, it is found that the service phase makes the greatest contribution to the environmental impact of the elevators under investigation. When recycling is excluded, NM-LSP covering CFRP is more environmentally friendly than the traditional material. At the same time, CFRP prepreg and electricity from the production of NM-LSP covering CFRP contribute to a higher environmental impact compared to the NM-LSP film. From the sensitivity analysis, it is believed that NM-LSP covering CFRP can reduce environmental impact compared with traditional LSP materials.

Shao-ce DONG;Cheng-gao LI;Gui-jun XIAN;Zhong-jie ZHAO;Xu-feng ZHANG;Qing-wen YUN

MOE Key Laboratory of Structures Dynamic Behavior and Control,Harbin Institute of Technology,Harbin 150090,China;MIIT Key Laboratory of Smart Prevention and Mitigation of Civil Engineering Disasters,Harbin Institute of Technology,Harbin 150090,China;Shool of Civil Engineering,Harbin Institute of Technology,Harbin 150090,China;Aviation Industry Corporation of China,Ltd.(AVIC)Composite Technology Center,Beijing 101300,China;Aviation Industry Corporation of China,Ltd.(AVIC)Harbin Aircraft Industry Group Co.,Ltd.,Harbin 150066,China

浙江大学学报（英文版）（A辑：应用物理和工程）

[1]Shao-ce DONG;Cheng-gao LI;Gui-jun XIAN;Zhong-jie ZHAO;Xu-feng ZHANG;Qing-wen YUN-.Environmental impact assessment of aircraft elevator made with new lightning protection material)[J].浙江大学学报（英文版）（A辑：应用物理和工程）,2022(09):669-682

elevators

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